The species got to meet their gods directly for the first time in thousands of years, so they celebrated the occasion with a festival. The parent-children meetings concluded quite neatly. Many species were delighted to learn that their parents were better than they had originally thought. The Black Witch and I were sitting together on a wide rock, watching the festival taking place in the jungle. She made a small sound as if she suddenly came to a realization. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Ummm... According to the Mirage-Walking Princess, there are many Hunters in other worlds who climb the Tower besides us. Though it’s hard to imagine that.” “Well, yes, I would guess so...” The Guardian yawned next to me. Despite being a ghost, he seemed to have an upset stomach, or at least that was the impression I had because of all the burping. Gosh, if only others could see this hilarious sight. The Black Witch narrowed her eyes and looked around, though she saw nothing of importance. Around us were just palm trees and vines hanging from the huge, green leaves. “Huh? Why are you looking back? Is someone there?” It was a shame she couldn’t see a ghost. I shrugged. “I felt a presence. It was probably a snail or a squirrel or something.” “Well, okay... So, all the elites from across the universe are rushing into the Tower, right?” “There must be Hunters out there who are much stronger than us, Death King. Like you said, we’re strong, but that doesn’t mean we’re invincible. There may be forces that are more vicious, stronger, or bigger than us.” “Speaking of which...” The Black Witch slightly offered a small smile. Even she seemed to think that her smile was awkward and out of nowhere. “Can’t we just continue our lives without going up to the fiftieth floor? Ah, don't get me wrong. I’m not saying that the two of us should do that. I’m just saying that I think many other Hunters and Tower residents would think that way.” I sipped on my tea. “I guess you’re right.” The jungle was far from the cities and towns of this world. Here, all the species had gathered to fight the energy dragon. It was difficult to find proper tea leaves, let alone a cup to pour the tea into. However, the Terras had gathered exceptionally tough, non-toxic leaves, layered them and knotted them to create a pretty teacup made from the jungle. The Terras had smiled shyly when they handed me the teacup as a gift. “The jungle is cold at dawn! You’ll get cold!” “Ugor, a warm stomach brings happiness for the day!” This was the offering I had received at dawn. No god could have received a happier offering than this. Very few parents would have been given a more loving offering than this. I was joyous. “There will be a lot of people like that,” I said as I took a sip from the most luxurious teacup in the world. A warm feeling slowly spread down my throat and all the way into my stomach. The Terras’ gesture didn’t just make me smile and laugh. It really touched me. “That’s right. We’ve already taken over the continent where the Aegim Empire rules. The magic books we can obtain from there are among the most insignificant resources we can find. Plenty of manpower, endless monsters and prey, ores, gold, oil...” The Black Witch lowered her voice. “There are already many radicals who want to drive out the Aegim Empire people, just like the Americans did to the natives. ‘If we take away all their land and plunder their resources, we’ll become the new sovereigns of the world with our overwhelmingly advanced civilization.’ That’s what they say.” “Thank you, Anastasha. If the Black Dragon Guild hadn’t restricted movement between the floors, it would have happened long ago.” “I will gladly accept your gratitude, but I can’t suppress these guys forever.” The Black Witch became serious. “Gong-Ja, you are a hero.” She looked desperate, so I could feel that her remark just now wasn’t a compliment. It was more like a prelude to some kind of warning. “You are treated as a hero because you’ve never really gotten involved in ruling the Tower. The Black Dragon, the Pantheon, the MA, the OJP Sect, the Watchmen league... The top-tier guilds have given you the position of assistant leader, but you’ve never once used your title to seize power. You’ve never even gotten involved in politics. Do you understand what I mean?” I nodded. “Once I begin to rule the tower, I’ll lose my mask as a hero.” “To be exact, the mask will be split into two. Those who possess one half of the mask will become your fervent followers, but those who destroy and stomp on the other half will brandish their pitchforks against you.” Perhaps her voice resonated with such firm conviction because she had experienced a civil war in the outside world. “If the two forces are even, a civil war will break out between the guilds that follow you and ones who don’t. The people will become divided and fight over who will seize control of our Tower—” “Yeah, there won’t be a civil war this time. All the Five Guilds that rule the Tower, the Black Dragon, the Pantheon, the MA, the Watchmen League and the OJP Sect strongly support you.” The trust between us was unprecedented. The radicals who wanted to steal my mask and break it were weak, too weak to wage war against us. “My plan is to purge,” the Black Witch said calmly. “By purge, you mean...” “Yes, I will eliminate all the radicals and potential dangers.” For a moment, there was silence. From somewhere in the distance, the sound of firewood crackling and turning to charcoal could be heard. I didn’t pay attention to it. Instead, I was thinking back to the story the Inquisitor had told me in Raviel’s world. My mind drifted to the [You have died] message I had seen countless times. I looked into my friend’s eyes and said, “Anastasha, because of that purge, all the guild leaders were at odds.” A long time ago, the Great Purge had claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, causing the relationship between the Five Guilds to deteriorate. The Sword Star had stepped down from his position as the leader of the Watchmen League. Instead of filling that role, the Paladin had remained as the assistant leader. The Black Witch had chosen to hide in the darkness. The Viper and the Inquisitor... The rainy street crossed my mind again as I closed my eyes and recalled the other world that the Tower master showed me. “Yes, that’s right,” the Black Witch replied. “But you showed up, Gong-Ja. Thanks to you, we’re back on good terms again. I’m truly grateful for that.” She sighed. “But back then, the Five Guilds didn’t have control of the Tower like they do now. That’s why it was hard to weed out the rotten apples, so they end up making a lot of unnecessary noise. But now...” “Things are different now. The relationship between the Five Guilds is better than ever, and I’ve been accumulating information on the powerful Hunters in the Tower for a long time. What their general ideology is, what they’ve been doing, and so on. I just need to pick out the extremists and deal with them quickly and covertly. No one will even know that they are dead,” she said firmly. I recalled a certain alley where a nameless Hunter had died. And then I also remembered a certain hunting ground. Another nameless Hunter who had died there now lived in my shadow. I crossed my arms. After pondering for a bit, I asked, “And then what? People keep coming in. The number of extremists you mentioned will likely increase over time. What are you going to do about all of them?” She bit her lower lip. “I’ll take care of them too. People’s skin becomes flaky sometimes. Food turns into feces after the body squeezes out its nutrients. The accumulated nutrients later turn into fat. Waste is inevitably created, so we need to deal with it. These are things that must be done to maintain order, things that have to be carried out no matter what. Otherwise, we can’t maintain the ideal—” I touched the back of her hand. Despite the muggy heat of the jungle, my friend’s hand always felt as cold as ice. “Anastasha, we’ve talked about this before. Bring them to me.” We had talked about this on the day we cleared the Immortal Happiness Preacher’s world. I had declared to the Black Witch, the Inquisitor, the Countess, the Paladin, and the Viper that I would be their king and lead them. I had no intention of withdrawing my declaration or saying that it was a mistake. The declaration still stood tall. “Anastasha, you can advise and warn me about what kind of person they are and if they should really be punished. But I’ll be the one who sentences them. I’ll look into their eyes and see their life. Bring them to me first.” She sighed, not because she was tired, but because she was sad. “And then? Are you going to persuade them?” “Killing them will be our last choice.” “Do you know how difficult that is?” “Once you get used to killing, persuasion becomes a hassle. But, Anastasha, this is the right path. You should find killing the hardest.” It took a while for the Black Witch to reply. “You are the assistant leader of the Black Dragon Guild, even though this rank is just nominal. It’s hard to find fault with you even if you wander around our guild. I won’t guide you, so go find out who the extremists are and try to convince them.” I smiled. “Thank you, Anastasha, for agreeing with me on this one—” “I couldn’t be more glad to hear that, Black Dragon Master,” a voice called out. We heard footsteps behind us. The newcomer was a mere ten meters away. It took me half a second to grab the hilt of my sword and unsheath it. I shouted, “Black Dragon Master! You have my consent!” Less than two seconds later, Anastasha grabbed my sleeve and activated her Skill. “Teleportation!” “Patriarch, please step back.” “Maaaaan, you sneaked up on our landlord? How fucking rude is that?” Two seconds after we heard the footsteps, Estelle and the Four Demon Kings jumped from the top of the palm trees, ran out of dark bushes, or emerged from behind rocks. The Black Witch and I teleported all the way into the backline. My holy sword was already drawn. The hundreds of cultists who were in charge of my protection now surrounded us. In just three seconds, they responded to the unidentified intruder. The intruder stroked his beard, thinking. He was wearing a mask, and his voice was distorted by aura, making it difficult to tell who he was. He was wearing a straw robe, which made it even more difficult to identify him. He was the definition of an uninvited guest. However, I could tell that he was also surprised. “I was just trying to prank you and test how much your skills have improved... Well, I’m a bit embarrassed because my prank failed, but your response was nearly perfect.” But there was a certain familiarity to his voice that was difficult to hide despite the distortions. I took in the intruder’s figure, posture, and aura intensity. “Oh, are you by any chance the Sword Star?” The intruder removed his mask, and a familiar face appeared before our eyes. I saw the smile of a senior gentleman who had aged well. Even his wrinkles were beautiful. “It’s been a while. I met the Inquisitor. We chatted for a bit. He told me he swore his loyalty to you and that the Black Dragon Master became your friend. Yes, a lot has happened since I last saw you, but I suppose that makes sense. Strange things happen to us sometimes. I can understand that, but...” The Sword Star smiled. It was rare for him to smile, but when he did, he looked very innocent, like a child. I could only stare at him, speechless. “There’s a rumor that even the Watchmen League’s assistant leader has become your friend! Haha. I was too ashamed to ask her directly, so I went to the MA master and asked if it was true. She smiled and confirmed that it was indeed true. I was surprised. Even after all these years, life is full of surprises.” I relaxed and sighed. “Was that something you had to check, sir? You even had to hide your identity from us?” The Sword Star took off the straw robe that covered him. “Of course, these major changes had to be confirmed.” The robe dropped to the ground, revealing a perfectly tailored black suit that hugged his thighs and arms beautifully. The outfit looked perfect for office work. “It’s an important issue that determines whether I should retire or not.” The formal black suit couldn’t conceal the Sword Star’s level. It had a soft outline that wrapped around his muscles. Only the red tie, an essential of an office worker, flowed freely, giving some room to breathe to the tight and tense suit. The Ranked 1 Hunter was exactly the same as he had been for over ten years. Although I was impressed by his appearance, the Black Witch asked, “Retirement? What do you mean? Are you finally starting to yearn for the life of an old man relocated in the back room of the house? Congratulations. You were already like that after retiring from the Watchmen League, but now you have found your true calling.” The Sword Star shrugged. The Black Witch continued. “When we were hunting down the Demon King with Gong-Ja, I thought you changed a little, but after that, you went back to being lazy.” “I did my best in my own way.” Anastasha frowned. “That kind of attitude annoys me. The same goes for how the expedition went. The Purens you’ve chosen had almost no influence on history. It wouldn’t have been strange for them to become the most violent species. You’re their god. You ordered them to seclude themselves, didn’t you?” The senior gentleman smiled faintly. This also wasn’t a common occurrence. “I won’t deny it.” “Why? Because you’re thinking about retirement, like you said?” “No matter what position I had in the outside world, I am now just a Hunter and a swordsman. If there ever comes a day when a swordsman retires, it’ll only be the moment when I die and let go of the sword. I’ve been watching you... Well, that’s not exactly true.” Maybe I was imagining it, but the tension around me grew stronger. It was mainly the wariness displayed by the Black Witch as she glared at the Sword Star. He nodded once as if he understood her wariness, but that was all. He wiped the smile from his lips and quietly said, “I was testing you.” The Black Witch let out a laugh. “You still haven’t gotten off that high horse, have you? Seriously, who do you think you are—” “If the Death King had accepted your purge, Black Dragon Master, I would have killed him right here, right now.” The siege was complete. Estelle drew her red sword, ready to confront the Sword Star, with the Four Demon Kings getting into formation to assist her. Everyone drew their swords. All the cultists had been hiding in the shadows of the forest, obscured by the palm trees. Now, they were ready to attack. Nobody uttered a single word as they stared at the Sword Star, taking him in. The moment he unleashed his aura or harbored bloodlust, a thousand swords would slash at his limbs. However, the Sword Star only had eyes for me. I slowly put my sword back into the sheath. The Black Witch tapped my shoulder, but it didn’t matter. I stared back into the Sword Star’s eyes. “Sir, I know you would never hurt me.” The senior swordsman’s eyes were clear.